Former Ireland full-back Girvan Dempsey has been appointed as attack coach at Bath and will bring a long association with Leinster to a close at the end of the season.

The Terenure man has been a one-club man for his entire career after becoming elite player development manager and, subsequently, head of the province's academy on retiring from a glittering playing career before joining Cullen's coaching ticket in 2016.

When Stuart Lancaster was brought in as 'senior coach', Dempsey found his role reduced and, although the rest of the staff signed two-year extensions last season, he only penned a one-year deal that expires at the end of this season.

Credentials

He has decided to head abroad to further his coaching credentials and earn experience after being involved in Ireland's summer tour last year and this season's Champions Cup win in Bilbao by working with Bath's former Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder.

"I've been a Leinster man all my life. As a supporter, a player and then as a coach, this is a club that I hold very close to my heart," he said.

"But I've been very conscious too of my development as a coach and wanting to test myself. I've spent time over the last few years in the southern hemisphere with Super Rugby teams and with teams in the UK and I just feel that this is an opportunity that is too good to pass.

"I would like to thank everyone at Leinster for giving me the opportunities that I've had.

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"I hope to play my part in what will hopefully be an historic end-of-season run-in, starting this weekend against Munster and will then look forward to linking up with Todd Blackadder and the rest of the coaches and players at Bath.